The present invention relates to the field of dressings in the form of a sleeve for the protection and care of fingers, toes and, more generally, limbs of the human body. The ends of the limbs of the human body are exposed to a lot of stress, causing injuries or conditions that require means of protection or care.
For this purpose, there are various structures and shapes of sleeves comprising viscoelastic materials. Tubular sleeves consisting solely of viscoelastic polymers are known in particular. The disadvantage of these sleeves is that the polymer tube must combine mechanical properties of elasticity, resistance, viscoelasticity, and little encumbrance, which are contradictory and are not combined in a satisfactory manner to the detriment of the physiological effects of the sleeve. Woven sleeves comprising a lining of viscoelastic material are also known. These sleeves have the disadvantage of being cumbersome, as the fabric and the lining must have a significant thickness due to the poor mechanical properties of the materials used. In addition, to solve the problem of industrially producing a tubular sleeve made of fabric, loose-knit fabrics are used to the detriment of the thickness and hold of the sleeve and of user comfort.
European Patent EP 1 191 912 B describes a protective sleeve for the care of fingers, toes or other parts of the body, comprising a piece of fabric assembled so as to form a sleeve, and at least one lining layer fixed onto a face of the piece of fabric.
This patent more particularly describes, with reference to its FIGS. 1 to 5, a protective sleeve comprising two pieces of fabric assembled by welding or stitching along their edges to form the body of the sleeve. The lining layer is first fixed onto a face of one of the two pieces of fabric, and the sleeve is turned inside out before being used, so that the lining film is inside the sleeve.
Patent EP 1 191 912 B also describes, with reference to its FIGS. 6 to 8, an embodiment of the protective sleeve using only one piece of fabric that first receives the lining layer and that is then folded and assembled by making two weld or stitch assembly seams, which are perpendicular to the fold line of the piece of fabric. A sleeve closed at one of its ends is thus obtained, the closed end corresponding to the fold line.
This method for producing a sleeve using only one piece of fabric is advantageous as it simplifies the manufacturing process. However, it does not enable a sleeve to be obtained that has its two ends open, or a plurality of sleeves to be produced collectively.
Moreover, in the first or second embodiment described by EP 1 191 912 B, despite the sleeve being turned inside out, the weld or stitch assembly seams form excessive thicknesses or assembly overlaps, or even zones of hardened material that can irritate the skin. In certain persons, such as diabetic people suffering from neuropathies or arteriopathies, such irritations eventually cause the formation of lesions.